Yarra Residents Collective | Other
Yarra Residents Collective
Reviews
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24.01.2022 It is easy to look at the headline but this reflects a much more systemic problem. The way the local council in the City of Yarra operates is fundamentally broken and needs to be reformed. If our councillors focused on the real local issues, properly listened to residents and stopped with the politics they would find the allowances provided are sufficient and the actual time required would reflect that. Council meetings run to nearly 5 hours because meeting agendas (sometime...s over 1000 pages) are packed with items, demanded by councillors, that have nothing to do with running the local council. The lobbying of state government on politics, making international political stances, fighting federal and state political battles to further the political careers of our councillors and help their party jostle for position at a state and federal level. These have nothing to do with the good residents of the City of Yarra. Many of the motions result in council staff and resources scattered generating reports for these projects. Politically driven projects such as cutting recycling services, introducing sky high fees on sporting clubs and a raft of unpopular transport projects that are driven by ideology rather than community need. Rather than genuine community focus and listening, much of the posturing and positioning is about those state and federal battles because higher up in the party there are upcoming state and federal elections in the seats of Richmond and Melbourne. Rather than getting on with the job of a local council, our councillors dive into the weeds at every opportunity to post a selfie on social media and advance their political careers. Remember, the councillor in question here was pre-selected by a political party, provided campaign funding from the party and won a seat by running under the party branding. This is far more than what your average independent candidate can afford to do. These are rank and file political party members who won a seat as a candidate powered by the marketing campaign of those parties. They knew what they were getting into upfront. This is why we created Yarra Residents Collective. To put the focus back on the residents that live here and not fighting state, national or international political battles. Our councillors should be focused on us all the time and not trying to position themselves to win seats for their state and federal superiors. If they truly focused on the residents and dropped the politics, they may find they are not that "poorly paid"
18.01.2022 The ongoing insensitive and stubborn behaviour from the Collingwood Children's Farm and the CEO has been quite remarkable. Failing to be upfront about what they truly want to do with the community gardens despite being called out on the thinly veiled safety excuse by multiple prominent commentators - the CEO, Chairperson and board have shown themselves to be inept and out of tune with community expectations. The mismanagement by the board has eroded public trust and good will... in the farm over a dispute which never should have happened. It was clear all along that the way the CEO and board took notes from the playbook of any modern dictatorship. We aren't sure if they really thought people would buy the "safety excuse" but what has eventuated has been a clumsy and embarrassing series of interviews, odd statements and then when all of that failed, cancellation of meetings with the gardeners at the last minute followed by radio silence. The community gardens need to be reopened and the CEO and board need to issue a public apology for their treatment of the gardeners and contempt for the wider community which support them. They completely misread the room and embarrassed themselves in their stubborn resolve not to admit that they stuffed up. https://www.theage.com.au//the-plot-thickens-and-stakes-ar
17.01.2022 Key Items in next Thursday's Council Meeting: - Mayor's general motion to support the Heidelberg Bike Lanes including using City of Yarra social media asking State Government to make them permanent. - Motion to establish an Active Transport Advisory committee including a recruitment process to appoint community members with 2 and 4 year terms. - Yarra Energy Foundation funding via a confidential motion.... Before making any motion in support or against such contentious projects the council should be consulting with the local community and business owners that are affected by this. How is a significant amount of ratepayer money being funnelled into a private entity such as the Yarra Energy Foundation hidden from the public? Also as is being reported elsewhere, the council is allegedly receiving $600k from State Government for prior work with public housing. This was supposedly known earlier this week to the Mayor but only be made public today. Will the community be consulted on this or has this been informally earmarked for "pet projects?" These funds would be a great way to start up a proper vandalism and graffiti removal program to benefit all residents and businesses!
10.01.2022 For those needing to make bookings for your COVID vaccine, DHHS has released an online booking tool so you don't have to call. https://portal.cvms.vic.gov.au/
01.01.2022 On Thursday the Collingwood Children's Farm CEO cancelled a meeting at the last minute with representatives from the community garden. It was unprofessional. Today the gardeners put emailed the CEO and Chair of the Children's farm. Here is the gardeners' email and the response they received from the chairperson of the farm (who just happens to be a City of Yarra staff member FYI). This isn't good enough and we do not feel the Chairperson and CEO is acting in good faith cancelling meetings and being evasive. Unsurprising after the CEO participated in a disastrous interview with Neil Mitchell earlier in the week.
